mjc1055

..and it felt awful.

I bought my '10 ISF a couple of months ago, and found out that it had a number of open recalls. I got scheduled for an appointment this week, dropped it off and have been driving a (very nice) '16 GS350 for a few days. One of the recalls was for the radiator fan, and unfortunately, I guess the dealership cracked the radiator when removing the upper hose. They immediately called me and informed me that they would be replacing the radiator at no cost to me, in addition to finishing the other recall items obviously. Great news!

So anyway, I show up this afternoon to pick my car up, and notice that it's cleaner than when I dropped it off. That scared me, because just a couple of weeks ago, I had a very expensive full polish and buff done on the car, which removed all the swirl marks the car had and left the paint in REALLY great shape. I walk up to my car and immediately notice that they must have run it through an automatic car wash, because the thing is COVERED in fine swirls again. Crap.

Luckily, my service advisor was super cool. I told him I was really sorry but that the I think they caused some damage to my paint, and I felt bad doing it because I know that car already cost them money in parts and labor for the radiator. He immediately told me to keep the loaner for awhile and that they'd have the car fully rebuffed/polished. I don't know if it's just that Lexus is so much better to deal with than some other brands I've owned, or if the dealership/advisor I had (Sean at Lexus Tucson, for the record) was just exceptional, but I love that they didn't even hesitate to take care of me.

TL;DR Lexus dealership is stand up and offered to take care of paint defects that they accidentally caused by washing my car. You rock, Sean @ Lexus of Tucson.

bnizzle87

I don't think it was a jerk move on your part. You were just voicing your concerns about your vehicle. Some dealerships have been noted on the forums for less than stellar customer service, and yours is a prime example of their going above their duty to ensure you're satisfied.

But for future reference, you can always request to not have the car washed or detailed. So this way you'll never need to worry about their scratching up the paint for future service visits. I have Obsidian and I've always opted to never have the wash done. Yes, the car comes back slightly dirty, but that just means I get to detail it myself when I get home.

Eedo123

This is another reason people pay the premium for Lexus; they truly do put quality of everything above all else. I am very certain that it is emphasized in their corporate culture that customer service and satisfaction is super important, and they definitely put in the resources to help keep their customers happy. Glad to hear you got taken care of well

SoulFreak

iTrader: (1)

Doesn't seem like you came across as a jerk. Like Brian mentioned, you voiced your concern on a issue you know that needed to be reasonably rectified. Kudos to Lexus!

M4rk

FWIW, you may want to take it to a shop of your choosing instead. In-house dealer detailers will likely slap a rotary on it and install buffer trails while removing the swirls.

Quadrphnia

Did your service include the ELF recall? Do yourself a favor - when they call you to pick the car up, pop the hood & remove the engine cover. There's a black plastic wiring harness beneath it that may be cracked / shattered. Your fight may not be over yet.

I do not second the notions on this thread that Lexus is providing a premium service. Where I live, they've shown that once you're out the door you may as well have bought a Hyundai. I'm as fair as they come and I've had some sort of trouble or glitch every single time I've gone to the dealership. I'm on my third - Arlington Lexus - so far so good.

And make sure you put a do not wash sign on your car, or have the valet do it. In addition, I always request no test drive.

You weren't a jerk, you were standing up for yourself.

Vervish

iTrader: (4)

You should change the title of the thread to "had a great experience at my local Lexus dealer". As the others noted - no jerkiness at all. Sounds like the dealer was very accommodating..

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

^This

Unless your dealership is one of the very few in existence that has a detailer that knows how to properly polish a vehicle, they will likely do more harm than good.

As a professional detailer who specializes in paint correction, I get a lot of brand new & used vehicles in directly from the dealership after the new owner has made their purchase, and most are covered in swirl marks from very poor wash habits or automatic washes and holograms from improper buffing. It is common for dealerships and body shops to use a finishing glaze that will help temporarily fill/hide fine defects such as swirl marks and holograms, so the car could look stunning upon initial inspection, and then awful after a few washes once the glaze has been removed. I wish you the best of luck, but if I were you, I would go collect your car and insist the dealership pays for the car to be serviced by a true professional detailer.

I discuss a similar situation in my article:
The Real Cost of a “Cheap” Car Wash by Zach McGovern

zen

iTrader: (6)

I had scratches (very light) every time I dropped the car at the dealership. I told the SA once and I saw him using some polish compound and tried to remove the scratches himself in the pick up area. I actually felt sorry for him since he didn't cause the scratches. The people who attended the car at the dealership are all teenagers/people who doesn't careful handled the car.

PatrickISF

This exact thing happened to me except I did all the paint correction myself. Took me an entire weekend to do. That Monday I went to the dealer and told my service advisor three times NOT to wash my car. Sure enough - I get the car back and they washed the car. At first it looked ok, but it was grey overcast that morning. The sun came out and there were scratches and swirls all over the car. I watched my dash cam and saw one of the detail guys using a broom to pre-wash the front hood and fenders of the car. I was so pissed. I contacted the dealer and they went ahead and paid a shop that I know to re-do the paint correction.

The service advisor's excuse.... wait for it... "I forgot to write it on the ticket."

nks979

Happened a couple times to me despite saying no wash every time, luckily MM hides light swirling extremely well (can't even see it when i shine a light directly on the paint) but it shows in the black B pillars/grill.

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

I print out signs and keep them in the storage compartment in my door for when I go to the dealership...



I place one on my dash (as seen), one on my center console, and hang one from my rear view mirror. Sure, they think I am nuts, but if they miss all 3 signs, I will send them the invoice for a very expensive paint correction and nano coating process. They know better than to wash the car

kings222

iTrader: (1)

I actually just left a voicemail for the service manager at the lexus of woodland hills. My car was messed up and come to find out I needed a MAF sensor which they charged $545.00 for. Apparently bc I didn't let them know I had a warranty they didn't cover it so I had to buy the part myself...only $90.00 still it is covered by them. Long story short ive been calling for the last 5 days to my service advisor to try and get reimbursed or to figure out how to avoid me paying for it and she hasn't called me back... Super frustrating. Anyway..i just left a message to the manager bc its very unproffesional and I shouldn't have to let them know I have a platinum warranty in order for them to know considering the fact that I am giving them the information to pull up my account with them...according to them to find out if I have a warranty isn't on the main screen and its on a "separate screen".

2URGSE

+1, I do that as well. I even leave them notes about no joyrides.

I8ABMR

This is why I always buy Lexus .